Juunishi Rouge
by TnM aka Touya no miko
Summary: Yuki is a penniless writer and Tohru is a courtesan in Tokyo.What happens when the two fall in love?Will the duke Akito stand in their way?Crossover of the Moulin Rouge.Yukiru.Warning:OCCness.R
1. The cast

Hello and welcome to my second Fruit Basket fanfic. I had an inspiration to write this fanfic ever since I saw 'Moulin Rouge' yesterday on VH1. Right now, I will put the names of the cast and what role they are playing.  
  
JUUNISHI ROUGE CAST  
  
Yuki Sohma: Christian  
  
Tohru Honda: Satine (Yes, it is a Yukiru fanfic.)  
  
Ayame Sohma: Zidler (It was either him or Shigure.)  
  
Shigure Sohma: Toullouse  
  
Hatsuharu Sohma: Argentinean  
  
Kyo Sohma: Satie (I couldn't find a good role for him)  
  
Hatori Sohma: The doctor (Get it, because he's a doctor!)  
  
Kagura Sohma: Nini La Belle (I'm sorry Kagura fans! Kagura plays a bitchy character, but she needs a role too. I like Kagura, honestly!)  
  
Akito Sohma: The Duke (I guess you already knew what his role is.)  
  
Kureno Sohma: Akito's manservant  
  
EXTRAS  
  
Uotani Arisa  
  
Saki Hanajime  
  
Momiji Sohma  
  
The rest of the FB cast  
  
Shigure: WHOOHOO! I'm gonna be in a fanfic filled with girls in corsets and lingire!  
  
Kyo: *reads script* What the hell? Nobody told me this was going to be a musical! And why is that damn rat playing the lead role?  
  
Yuki: Because I'm more suitable for the part, unlike you stupid cat.  
  
Kyo: *rolls up sleeves* Why you...  
  
Yuki: *socks him*  
  
Kyo: X_X  
  
Kagura: KYO! *rushes to his side*  
  
Tohru: *looks at her role* Um, why am I playing Satine? I'm nothing like her, and do I really have to wear this outfit. *holds up skimpy sparkly costume*  
  
Ayame: Tohru, you'll look so precious in that costume, which I have designed myself! And you and my little brother will do so many romantic scenes! *eyes sparkle* IT WILL BE SO BEAUTIFUL!  
  
Yuki and Tohru: *blush*  
  
Shigure: That's right! Yuki, you are so lucky to lock lips with precious Tohru! If only I could have your role. *sighs dramatically*  
  
Yuki: *blushes harder* Shut up, Shigure.  
  
Kagura: Wait a minute, how come I have to play such a bitchy character? Why can't Kyo and me play the leading parts?  
  
Kyo: *recovers and mumbles quietly* I think your role really suits you.  
  
Kagura: WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!?! *punches him into orbit*  
  
Kyo: AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! *goes flying*  
  
Momiji: *bounces up and down* YAY! I get play the green fairy! I'll have a sparkly outfit and fairy wings! It's not a big role, but I love to dress up in costumes!  
  
Hatsuharu: Who exactly is this 'Argentinean' person?  
  
Shigure: He's some guy who falls asleep unexpectedly, but the author is going to replace that with your bad sense of direction and your black mode.  
  
Hatsuharu: *goes black mode* WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY SENSE OF DIRECTION?! *beats up Shigure*  
  
Shigure: AAAAHHH! Why is everyone beating up poor old me?! *fake crying*  
  
Tohru: But I don't want to hurt Yuki-kun.  
  
Yuki: You won't do anything to upset me. It's just an act, remember?  
  
Tohru: Well, of course, but I feel like I don't deserve this role. I'm not that great of an actress. (Isn't Tohru so modest and sweet? I just don't know why some people hate her.)  
  
Yuki: Honda-san, you shouldn't act so modest. I think you're perfect for the role. *smiles*  
  
Tohru: *blushes* Oh, thank you Yuki-kun.  
  
Okay, now that we're done with that, let us move on. The next chapter will be up in maybe a week, so be patient. I still can't decide if I should let Shigure be the Zidler or Ayame. Will you guys decide for me? Thank you very much! 


	2. The bohemians

A/N Okay, I've got no reviews so far, but here is the chapter for 'Juunishi Rouge'. I hope you enjoy it, and don't forget to review. On with the show!  
  
---*---  
  
'There was boy,  
  
A very short, enchanted boy,  
  
They say he wandered very far, very far  
  
Over land and sea  
  
A little shy and violet eyed,  
  
But very wise was he.  
  
And then one day,  
  
One summer's day,  
  
He strolled my way,  
  
And while we spoke of many things,  
  
Fools and kings,  
  
This he said to me,  
  
The greatest thing, you'll ever learn,  
  
Is just to love..  
  
And be loved in return.'  
  
---*---  
  
YUKI NARRATOR  
  
The Juunishi Rouge...a nightclub, the dance hall of the whorehouse. Ruled over by Ayame Sohma. A kingdom of nighttime pleasures. Where the rich and powerful come to play with the young and beautiful creatures of the underworld. And the most beautiful of these was the woman I loved, Tohru, a courtesan. She sold her love to men. They called her 'The Lovely Riceball', and she was the star...of the Juunishi Rouge. The woman I loved...is dead.  
  
I first came to Japan one year ago. It was 1899, the summer of love. I knew nothing of the Juunishi Rouge, Ayame, or Tohru. The world had been swept up in the Bohemian revolution. And I traveled from Hong Kong to be part of it(a/n I know Yuki isn't Chinese, but he wears a lot of Chinese shirts, so stick with it). On a hill near Tokyo was the village Aijichi. It was not as my cousin, Hiro, had said.  
  
"It's a village of SIN!" Hiro stated harshly at Yuki, "What does the family have to do to get through to you, Yuki?"  
  
It was the centre of the Bohemian world with musicians, painters, and writers. They where known as 'The zodiac of the Revolution'. Yes, I had come to live a penniless existence. I had come to write about truth, beauty, freedom, and that which I believe in above all things...Love.  
  
"Always this ridiculous obsession with love!" continued Hiro, looking at his cousin in disgust. He was beginning to think that his love sicken cousin has never been properly raised by  
  
There was only one problem-I'd never been in love! Luckily, right at that moment, an unconscious white haired man fell through my poor excuse of a roof, and a twenty-seven year old man, with black hair, dressed as a nun quickly joined him.  
  
"What the hell?!" yelled Yuki in surprise.  
  
The man with a shirt around his head like a nun's habit sighed, "Honestly Kyo, you really need to stop angering Haru. You know what happens when you and Black Haru fight."  
  
"He deserved it for calling me a stupid cat!" A harsh voice bellowed loudly from the roof.  
  
"What the hell?" Yuki exclaimed, still surprised.  
  
The man then noticed Yuki, "How do you do? My name is Shigure Marie Raymond Petal Laurel Sohma. I'm terribly sorry about all this, we were all upstairs rehearsing a play."  
  
"What the hell?" Yuki replied, still not understanding.  
  
"A play, something very modern called 'Spectacular, Spectacular!" Shigure said with pride, saying the last two words boldly.  
  
"And it's set in SWITZERLAND!" Shigure continued.  
  
Yuki looked at the white haired man and poked him to see if he was still alive, "Um, is he going to be all right?"  
  
"Unfortunately my friend, Hastuharu, or Haru for short, suffers from a personality disorder. He's a nice guy for a while, but when angered he turns into an explosive bomb. Plus, he's got a horrible sense of direction." Shigure explained.  
  
The other three bohemians appear above the hole in the ceiling. Three of them were men, but the third one with long brown hair looked very feminine. The one next to the girly looking man had orange hair, red eyes, had a foul look on his face, and wore a stripped scarf around his neck. The third man had dark hair with long bangs, which covered his left eye, he looked to be the same age as Shigure, and he wore some type of East Indian clothing.  
  
"Well, is the stupid cow still alive?" The orange haired man questioned harshly.  
  
The man with dark hair came into the room and checked on Haru, "He's fine, but he's out cold."  
  
The man looked at Yuki, "Hello, I am Hatori Sohma. Nice to meet you."  
  
"I'm Kyo Sohma." The orange haired man said rudely.  
  
Yuki smiled, "Hello, I'm Yuki."  
  
"I'M SO SORRY! NOW THAT HARU IS UNCONSCOIUS, WE CAN'T FINISH THE SCENARIO IN TIME TO PRESENT TO THE FINANCIER! I'M SORRY, I'M A FAILURE AS A WRITER!" The girly looking man screamed.  
  
"Ritsu is right Shigure, I still have to finish the music." Kyo stated.  
  
"That's all right, we can just get someone to read the part!" Shigure said smartly.  
  
"BUT WHERE DO WE FIND SOMEONE, AND IF WE DON'T WE'LL BE IN TROUBLE! IT'LL BE ALL MY FAULT!!!" Ritsu screamed.  
  
They all look at Yuki with a thoughtful look on their faces.  
  
Yuki blinked, "What?"  
  
---*---  
  
Next thing we know, Yuki is dressed up in Haru's costume, holding a script in his hand, and standing on a ladder in front of a painted backdrop of the Alps. Kyo is playing 'The Sound of music' on the piano. Haru is still unconscious and lying down on the bed, while Ritsu is overseeing the rehearsal. Shigure, standing in as the nun, is in mid-song.  
  
"The hills animate with euphonious symphonies of descant!" Shigure sang.  
  
"I don't think a nun would say that about a hill." Hatori stated.  
  
Kyo then butted in, "What if he sing, 'the hills are vital, intoning the descant'?"  
  
"No, no. The hills quake and shake..." objected Shigure.  
  
"No, no, no, no. The hills..." Hatori was interrupted when Haru suddenly sat up.  
  
"The hills are incarnate with symphonic melodies!" shouted Haru.  
  
"The hills are incarnate with symphonic melodies?' That sucks!" scoffed Kyo.  
  
Haru looked enraged as his black side took over, "DIE!"  
  
"Go back to sleep, Haru." Shigure threw a nearby chair at Haru before he could kill Kyo, and he was unconscious again.  
  
The men begin to argue incoherently about the lyrics. Yuki, still on the ladder, waves his arms in an attempt to get their attention. He groaned in frustration to see the Bohemians too engrossed in their argument, so instead he throws back his head and sings.  
  
"The hills are alive with the sound of music!" Yuki sang. The bohemians stopped arguing and looked at him in disbelief. Haru then leaps up.  
  
"The hills are alive with the sound of music!' I love it!" Haru grinned.  
  
Yuki looked relieved, while the bohemians looked thoughtful.  
  
"The hills..." Hatori trailed off.  
  
"...are alive..." Shigure continued.  
  
"...with the sound of music...it fits perfectly!" Kyo cheered.  
  
Encouraged, Yuki continued singing, "With songs they have sung for a thousand years!"  
  
The bohemians gasped in amazement, while Yuki looked even more hopeful.  
  
"Wonderful! Ritsu, you two should write the show together!" Shigure suggested.  
  
"Oh, I see...I'M SORRY FOR NOT BEING A GOOD ENOUGH WRITER! I HAVE FAILED YOU ALL! I MUST PAY FOR MY SINS!!!" Ritsu screamed, as he ran towards the open window, and leapt off where he plummeted to his doom. Fortunately, he didn't die, but was not in very good shape at the moment.  
  
Everyone looked stunned for a moment, amazed that Ritsu did such a thing, and still lived.  
  
"Oh well, no big loss," Shigure shrugged and turned to Yuki.  
  
"Here's to your first job in Tokyo!" Shigure cheered, raising a glass of green liquid to Yuki, who looked slightly confused.  
  
"Shigure, Ayame will never agree," Kyo turned to Yuki, "No offence, but have you ever written anything like this before?"  
  
"No." Yuki simply replied.  
  
"Ah, the boy has talent!" Haru puts his hand a Yuki's crotch, which caused Yuki to gasp and punched Haru in the jaw.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!" Yuki shouted his face a bright red.  
  
Haru rubbed his sore cheek and simply smiled, "I like him! Nothing funny, I just like talent."  
  
Yuki inched away from him, still feeling uneasy, "Um, right."  
  
Shigure tries to convince Kyo to let Yuki write the show, while Yuki listens with interest.  
  
"The hills are alive with the sound of music'-see Kyo, with Yuki we can write the truly bohemian revolutionary we've always dreamt of!" Shigure explained.  
  
Kyo looked unfazed by this, "And how are we going to convince Ayame?"  
  
Shigure looked thoughtful for a second, but then pounded his fist into his palm, "I know, Tohru!"  
  
Shigure whispers his plan to the bohemians, while Yuki tried to listen.  
  
YUKI NARRATOR  
  
I heard them say they would dress me in Hatsuharu's best suit, and pass me on as a famous Chinese writer. Once Tohru heard my modern poetry, she would be astounded and insist to Ayame that I write 'Spectacular, Spectacular'. The problem was I kept hearing my cousin's voice echoing in my head.  
  
"You'll end up wasting your life at the Juunishi Rouge with a can-can dancer!" Hiro indicated.  
  
"No, I can't write the show for the Juunishi Rouge!" Yuki cried. He bolts to the ladder in the hole in the floor, and starts to climb down. The bohemians looked surprised by this and follow him.  
  
"Why not?" Shigure asked.  
  
Yuki stops with his head just above the floor. The bohemians crowd around, bending over to look at Yuki.  
  
"I-I don't even know if I'm a true bohemian revolutionary." Yuki stuttered.  
  
"What?!" The Bohemians gasped in shock.  
  
"Do you believe in beauty?" Shigure asked.  
  
"Yes." Yuki replied.  
  
"Freedom?" Haru stepped in.  
  
"Yes, of course." Yuki replied.  
  
"Truth?" asked Kyo.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Love?" asked Hatori.  
  
"Love? Love. Above all things I believe in love. Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendoured thing, love lifts up where we belong. All you need is love!" Yuki said passionately.  
  
The Bohemians looked very impressed by this.  
  
"See, you can't fool us! You're the voice of the zodiac of the revolution!" Shigure cheered.  
  
"We can't be fooled!" said Kyo, Haru, and Hatori. The bohemians then pulled Yuki back into the studio.  
  
"Let's drink to the new writer of the world's first bohemian revolutionary show!" Shigure cheered, and pulled out a bottle filled with some green liquid. He poured the drink into five separate glass cups.  
  
Yuki looks at his drink oddly, "Say Shigure, what is this stuff?"  
  
"It's called absinthe! It's got a few side effects, but it's a real kicker!" Shigure said cheerfully. The men clinked their glasses together, and down their drinks. On the absinthe bottle, the label with a green bunny on it comes to life.  
  
"I'M THE GREEN BUNNY!" A little boy with blond hair and wearing a green bunny suit, bounced around the place. The green bunny flies off the absinthe bottle and into the sky, while Yuki and the bohemians raise their glasses.  
  
"The hills are alive with the sound of music!" Yuki, the bohemians, and the green bunny sang.  
  
As the green bunny cavorts in the sky, Yuki and the bohemians laugh hysterically, all dressed up in evening clothing and standing on a balcony outside Shigure's studio.  
  
"Yeah, freedom, beauty, truth, and love!" The men cheered.  
  
As Yuki and the bohemians sing, the green bunny bounces around and writes the lyrics in the sky.  
  
"The hills are alive..." The green bunny began to sing  
  
Yuki and the bohemians also sang,  
  
"You won't fool the zodiac of the revolution  
  
No, you won't fool the zodiac..."  
  
"...With the sound of music Of the revolution, the revolution, The revolution, of the revolution." The green bunny continued singing. YUKI NARRATOR By tomorrow, we will be in the Juunishi Rouge, where I was to perform my poetry to Tohru.  
  
A/N How is it? Did you like it? I hope you Ritsu fans don't slice my head off for doing that to him. Please leave a review and the next chapter will be up soon! 


	3. Diamond's are a girl's best friend

A/N Hi, I'm so glad that some of you reviewed, I'm so flattered by your compliments. Anyway, here is the second chapter of my story. On with the show!  
  
Diamonds are a girl's best friend  
  
---*---  
  
Shigure, Haru, Hatori, Kyo, and Yuki were off to the Juunishi Rouge, all wearing their best suits and looking like fine young gentlemen. And as soon as they entered the Juunishi Rouge the show began. They took their places at a private table near the centre of the magnificent place.  
  
There was silence and darkness for a small amount of time before light streamed on, enlightening the upper area of the stage showing a man with long white hair, and yellow eyes. This man was Ayame Sohma, the underworld demon king.  
  
Ayame grinned mischievously and threw his arms in the air and yelled "The Juunishi Rouge!"  
  
"If you think this place is cool, wait till you see Ayame's 'Diamond Snakes'!" Shigure grinned at Yuki.  
  
As Ayame gestures, the Diamond Snakes, who happened to be beautiful young women wearing corsets and frilly skirts, appear from behind a mirror wall. Yuki stares in amazement at all the beautiful girls.  
  
"Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? Ce soir?" The Diamond Snakes sang seductively.  
  
Ayame and the Diamond Snakes begin their number, surrounded by the cheering crowd.  
  
(A/N When you see this symbol ( ) that's diamond snakes singing. If you see this symbol * that's Ayame singing.)  
  
(Hey sista, go sista, soul sista, flow sista.  
  
Hey sista, go sista...)  
  
Ayame began to rap,  
  
*If life's an awful bore (.sista soul, flow sista)  
  
And living's just a chore  
  
That we do (...Hey sista, go sista...)  
  
Cause death's not much fun (.soul sista)  
  
I have just the antidote (Giuchie giuchie, ya ya, da da.)  
  
And though I mustn't gloat  
  
At the Juunishi Rouge  
  
You'll have FUN!  
  
So scratch that little niggle  
  
have a little wiggle!* (Creole Lady Marmalade)  
  
Yuki taps his foot to the music and watches in amazement, as the men danced with the dancers.  
  
"Cause YOU CAN, CAN-CAN!" Ayame roared at the crowd.  
  
The crowd roared in response "Yes YOU CAN, CAN-CAN!"  
  
The Diamond snakes start kicking their legs high in the air, revealing their undergarments and singing, "Voulez vous coucher avec moi? Ce soir?"  
  
"But YOU CAN'T, CAN'T, CAN'T!" Ayame roared back.  
  
"Yes YOU CAN, CAN, CAN!" The crowd roared back.  
  
"Voulez vous coucher avec moi? Ce soir?" The girls sang.  
  
"No YOU CAN'T, CAN'T, CAN'T!"  
  
"Yes YOU CAN, CAN, CAN!"  
  
Men wearing tuxes started to march into the hall, singing "Here we are now, entertain us! We feel stupid and contagious!"  
  
Yuki, who was bored from just sitting down, hesitatingly joins the bohemians onto the dance floor.  
  
Ayame began his tune again.  
  
*Got some dark desire?  
  
Love to play with fire?  
  
Why not let it rip  
  
Live a little bit!  
  
Can can-can!*  
  
The men and the diamond snakes dance toward each other. The men sing, "Here we are now, entertain us!  
  
Ayame continued bellowing, "Because YOU CAN, CAN, CAN!"  
  
The crowed hollered back "Yes YOU CAN, CAN, CAN!"  
  
"Voulez vous coucher avec moi? Ce soir?" The girls sang.  
  
"Yes YOU CAN, CAN-CAN!" Bellowed Ayame.  
  
The men did a crazy dance, "Cause we CAN, CAN-CAN!"  
  
Ayame continued his tune  
  
*Outside it may be raining  
  
But in here it's entertaining!*  
  
"Cause we CAN, CAN-CAN!" Ayame roared at the crowd again.  
  
"We CAN, CAN-CAN!" The crowd roared back.  
  
"Yes we CAN, CAN-CAN!"  
  
"We CAN, CAN-CAN!"  
  
"Here we are now, entertain us!" The men sang.  
  
Ayame laughed while dancing around, and singing.  
  
*Outside things may be tragic,  
  
But in here we feel it's magic!*  
  
"Here we are now, entertain us!" The men sang loudly.  
  
"Well you can bump and grind..." The bohemians sang as they danced around Yuki  
  
Yuki couldn't help it but sing out, "Cause it's good for your mind!"  
  
Yuki joins the crowd dancing with the Diamond Snakes, then looks around at the debauchery surrounding him.  
  
*We CAN, CAN-CAN!  
  
Yes we CAN, CAN-CAN!*  
  
Shigure signals to Yuki, "Hey, Yuki!"  
  
"Here we are now, entertain us!" The men sang.  
  
Yuki goes and sits down at a table with Shigure and the other Bohemians.  
  
"Mission accomplished! We successfully evaded Ayame!" Shigure cheered triumphantly  
  
*We CAN, CAN-CAN!  
  
Yes we CAN, CAN-CAN!*  
  
The music fades and the lights dim, as everyone look upwards, silver confetti falls from the ceiling.  
  
"It's her! The lovely rice ball!" Shigure whispered in Yuki's ear. The woman that Yuki saw had to be the most beautiful woman he ever laid eyes on. She had long brown hair, wore a diamond corset, black diamond encrusted heels, and fishnet stockings. She descended from the ceiling on a diamond studded trapeze.  
  
"The Japanese are glad to die for love. They delight in fighting duels." Tohru sang as her seat slowly came down from the ceiling. Yuki's breath caught in his throat when he heard her honey sweet voice.  
  
Yuki stares open-mouthed at Tohru, while on the other side of the pillar next to him, a man who looked a bit like Yuki only with darker hair and cold looking eyes, sat with Ayame, and watches Tohru with beady eyes.  
  
YUKI NARRATOR  
  
Unfortunately, someone else was to meet Tohru that night.  
  
"But I prefer a man who lives..." Tohru sung softly  
  
Ayame's investor.  
  
"And give expensive...jewels." She finished softly.  
  
The duke, Akito Sohma.  
  
As the lights come up, Tohru circles above the crowd on her trapeze, touching the men's outstretched hands. Tohru steps off her trapeze and dances through the crowd as the men thrust money and jewels at her. Tohru began to sing again in her sweet voice, along with the Diamond Snakes  
  
"A kiss on the hand may be quite continental,  
  
But diamonds are a girl's best friend  
  
A kiss may be grand,  
  
But it won't pay the rental on your humble flat,  
  
Or help you feed your (meow) pussycat."  
  
Tohru strutted around the crowd; taking bunches of roses and throwing them away with little interest, and beaming brightly at the men who gave her diamonds.  
  
"Men grow cold as girls grow old  
  
And we all lose our charms in the end  
  
But square cut or pear-shape  
  
These rocks don't lose their shape  
  
Diamonds are a girl's best friend!"  
  
The men crowded around Tohru, then threw her up into the air as she sung out loud "Tiffany's!"  
  
Tohru fell gently onto the men's outstretched arms and glided across them.  
  
Akito watched from aside at his table, while having a conversation with Ayame. Yuki also watched from aside, as Shigure discussed his plan to him.  
  
"When am I going to meet the girl?" Akito asked Ayame, not taking his eyes off Tohru.  
  
"Cartier!" Tohru sung out loudly.  
  
"After her number Akito-sama, I have arranged a special meeting, just you and Tohru-san, totally alone!" Ayame beamed.  
  
Meanwhile, Shigure was discussing his plan to Yuki, "After her number, I've arranged a private meeting, just you and Tohru-san, totally alone."  
  
Yuki raised an eyebrow questionably, "Alone?"  
  
"Yup, totally alone!" Shigure said slyly.  
  
"That's right Akito, totally alone!" Ayame replied to Akito.  
  
Akito smiled deviously, "Good."  
  
"Cause we are living in a material world, and I am a material girl!" Tohru and the Diamond snakes sang in unison. The men lifted her into the air and onto the stage.  
  
"Come and get me boys!" Tohru sung out loud and blew a kiss.  
  
"Excuse me for a moment!" Ayame leaves Akito and makes his way through the crowd to join Tohru on the stage.  
  
"Black star, Roscor! Talk to me Ayame Sohma, tell me all about it!" Tohru cheered before singing  
  
"There may come a time when a lass needs a lawyer!" Tohru sang in a smug tone.  
  
"But diamonds are a girl's best friend!" Ayame replied, shaking diamonds in front of her and pulled them away when she tried to grab them.  
  
Tohru pouted, "There may come a time when a hard-boiled employer. Thinks you're."  
  
"Awful nice!" Ayame finished arrogantly, and handed Tohru the diamonds.  
  
Tohru beamed, "But get that ice or else no dice!"  
  
The can-can dancers got up on top of each other forming a wall of skirts as they danced around in circles to hide Tohru and Ayame.  
  
Yuki gets up to go over to Tohru, but Shigure put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.  
  
"Don't worry, don't worry I'll sally forth and tee things up!" Shigure said confidently. As Shigure stands up, he accidentally knocks over a tray of drinks, spilling them on Akito.  
  
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" Shigure said sincerely, and tried to wipe Akito clean with a handkerchief.  
  
"He's your guy when stocks are high!" The Diamond Snakes sang. Behind the wall of skirts, Tohru and Ayame carry on a quiet conversation.  
  
"Is the duke here, Ayame?" Tohru asked, while changing her costume before she could continue her number.  
  
"Princess, would daddy let you down?" Ayame smiled.  
  
"But beware when they start to descend!" The Diamond Snakes sung, still hiding Tohru and Ayame behind their skirts.  
  
Ayame peeks through the frilly skirts to see Shigure wiping Akito's shirt with his handkerchief.  
  
"Where is he?" Tohru asked, as the two circled each other.  
  
"He's the one Gure is shaking a hanky at." Ayame replied.  
  
Tohru peeks through the skirts and notices Shigure reaching around the pillar to take Yuki's handkerchief.  
  
"Mind if I borrow this Yuki?" Shigure asked, taking the hanky from him.  
  
"Diamonds are a girl's best.Diamonds are a girl's best.Diamonds are a girl's best friend!" The Diamond snakes sang.  
  
Tohru turns back to Ayame, "Are you sure?"  
  
"Let me peek." Tohru has her back to Yuki and Akito, and Ayame peers around her and sees Shigure again waving his handkerchief at an angry Akito.  
  
"That's the one, chickpea. I hope Gure baby doesn't frighten him off." said Ayame.  
  
"Will he invest?" Tohru asked, while quickly zipping up her costume.  
  
"Pigeon! After spending the night with you, how could he refuse?" Ayame said confidently.  
  
"What's his type? Wilting flowers, bright and bubbly, or smouldering temptress?" Tohru asked.  
  
"I'd say smouldering temptress. We're all relying on you, gosling. Remember, a real show, in a real theatre, with a real audience. And you'll be..." Ayame trailed off.  
  
"A real actress." Tohru sighed dreamily. Tohru burst out of the walls of skirts, wearing a stunning pink costume covered in sparkly beads, and with fuzzy pink feathers in the back. Tohru starts to dance her way towards Yuki and the Bohemians.  
  
"Cause that's when those louses go back to their spouses!" Tohru sang, as two clowns lifted her onto their shoulders and carried her towards the table where Yuki is sitting.  
  
"Diamonds are a girl's best friend!" Yuki snapped back to reality when Tohru was standing in front of him and waving one of her pink feathers in his face.  
  
"I believe you were expecting me?" Tohru purred.  
  
Yuki looks up at her, dumbstruck, "Y-Yes."  
  
Tohru smiled and turned to the crowd, "I'm afraid it's ladies choice!"  
  
The crowd groaned in disappointment, but Tohru got them cheering again when she entertained them with a little dance.  
  
"Tohru! Tohru! Tohru! Tohru!" The crowd chanted her name as she danced. The bohemians slapped Yuki on the back as Tohru works the crowd.  
  
"Remember Yuki, hit her with your most modern poem!" Shigure whispered.  
  
"Shall we dance?" Tohru offered her hand to Yuki, which he hesitantly accepted. Tohru pulls him onto the crowded dance floor. Tohru starts dancing, but Yuki just stares, overwhelmed, until two men pushed him towards Tohru.  
  
The bohemians watched the two on the dance floor and couldn't believe how lucky they were.  
  
"That went strangely well." Kyo said gruffly.  
  
"I must say, quite incredible." Hatori said amusingly.  
  
"He has a gift with the women." complimented Haru.  
  
"I told you, he's a genius!" said Shigure, sounding very proud of himself.  
  
Yuki, somewhat hesitantly as first, starts to dance. He was unsure of the moves, but then he gets into it. Ayame eyed the dancing couple, since Yuki looked a bit like Akito, he assumed Yuki was the duke.  
  
"My, Akito certainly can dance!" Ayame said in amazement.  
  
"It's so wonderful of you to take an interest in our little show." Tohru smiled at Yuki.  
  
Yuki smiled back, "Sounds very exciting, I'd be delighted to be involved!?  
  
Tohru looked at him, "Really?"  
  
Yuki nodded, "Assuming you like what I do, of course."  
  
"I'm sure I will." Tohru replied.  
  
Yuki gave the watching bohemians a thumb up before continuing, "Shigure thought we might be able to um...do it in private."  
  
Tohru giggled, "Did he now?"  
  
"Yes. You know, uh, a private poetry reading." Yuki said nervously.  
  
"Mmm, a poetry reading. I love a little poetry after supper." Tohru said coyly.  
  
"Hang on to your hats!" Tohru kicks off Yuki's hat, as the Diamond snakes kick off the hats of the men they danced with. Hats everywhere flew into the air. The men catch their hats as Tohru, back on her trapeze, launches into the finale of "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" as she makes her exit.  
  
"Diamonds! Diamonds!" Tohru sung out, as the men and Diamond snakes, holding hands, form a circle around her trapeze as it ascends, dancing. Tohru continued to sing.  
  
"Square cut or pear shape  
  
These rocks don't lose their shape!"  
  
Yuki is back sitting with the bohemians, who are overjoyed and congratulated Yuki.  
  
"Fantastic!" commented Shigure, but Yuki couldn't take his eyes off Tohru.  
  
"Diamonds are a girl's best." As Tohru reaches the final chords of the song, and the crowd beneath her raises their arms in anticipation, she suddenly gasps for breath. Yuki is spellbound, Ayame looks on in concern, and the crowd throws their arms in the air for the big finale, but Tohru can't catch her breath and faints, falling from the trapeze.  
  
"Oh no!" Ayame gasped in fright.  
  
Luckily, Tohru is saved by a tall blond haired woman, who happened to be Uotani Arisa, another can-can dancer. She catches her and looks to Ayame, who motion for Tohru to be taken backstage. As Tohru is carried off, Yuki looks worried. The crowd looks uncertain, but Ayame starts clapping, as though it had all been planned. The crowd follows suit.  
  
"Tohru! Tohru! Tohru! Tohru!" The crowd chanted, demanding for Tohru.  
  
Backstage, Uotani carries Tohru backstage and places her on the couch, while the Diamond snakes.  
  
A can-can dancer named Kagura smirked, "Don't know if that duke's going to get his money's worth tonight."  
  
"Kagura, don't be unkind." Hanajima, Tohru's best friend and dresser, hissed.  
  
"She fainted, just fainted." Uotani pointed out to Kagura.  
  
Back in the dance hall, the crowd still chanted Tohru's name. One of the dancers walks up to Ayame and whispers to him that Tohru won't be coming back. Ayame frowns, but quickly replaced it with a smile and motions for the crowd's silence.  
  
"Tsk, tsk, you frightened her away!" Ayame wailed dramatically, while the crowd groaned in disappointment.  
  
"But I can see some lonely Juunishi Rouge dancers out there who are looking for a partner or two. So if you can hunk-hunk, you can hunkadola with them!" Ayame beamed. The crowd cheers and the band strikes up, but Yuki looked confused.  
  
'What's going on here?' Yuki thought.  
  
Backstage, Hana hurries over to Tohru with smelling salts. She found some of the dancers in her way and used her powers to shock them. The dancers shriek and moved aside for Hanajima.  
  
"Out of my way." Hanajima said blankly and shocked a couple more dancers (A/N Our extra dancers are played by the members of Yuki's fan club. I had to put them somewhere.).  
  
Hana waves the smelling salts under Tohru's nose, and Tohru begins to come to.  
  
"Oh Hana-chan.Oh, these silly costumes." Tohru gestured to her tight costume, believing that was the reasons for fainting.  
  
"Just a little fainting spell." Hana smiled. Tohru starts coughing, and Hana holds a handkerchief to her mouth. When Tohru turns away, Hana sees blood on it, but Tohru doesn't notice.  
  
Hana looked grave, 'I fear that Tohru's life waves are beginning to weaken."  
  
A/N I'm finally done with this chapter. It took me a much longer time than I thought! Well, please read and review. The next chapter will be up in about a few weeks. 


	4. Your Song

A/N Thank you so much for those of you who reviewed this fic! I'm so honored, because this is my first fanfic to be based on a movie and you all made me so happy! For those of you who have seen Moulin Rouge, Tohru will NOT be doing that strange scene when she's moaning and stuff. I'll try to keep Tohru as in character as possible. Anyway, the show must go, so on with the show!  
  
Your song  
  
---*---  
  
After recovering from earlier, Hana is helping Tohru getting ready to meet the duke.  
  
"That twinkle-toes Akito has really taken the bait, Tohru. With a patron like him, you could be the next Sarah Bernhardt." said Hana as she zipped up Tohru's black gown.  
  
"Do you really think so, Hana-chan?" asked Tohru.  
  
"Why not? You've got the talent. You hook Akito and you'll be lining up the great stages of Japan." Hana replied.  
  
"I'm going to be a real actress Hana, a great actress. I'm going to fly away from here." Tohru said with hope in her eyes.  
  
Ayame rushes in with a look of concern, "Duckling! Is everything all right?"  
  
"Oh yes. Of course, Ayame." Tohru smiled.  
  
Ayame looked relieved, "Oh thank goodness! You certainly weaved your magic with that duke on the dance floor."  
  
"How do I look?" Tohru turns around to face Ayame.  
  
Ayame gasped in amazement, "Oh, my little strawberry! How can he possibly resist from gobbling you up? Everything's going so well!"  
  
Ayame will soon be in for a big surprise later on.  
  
---*---  
  
Yuki, holding his hat in his hands, nervously stands framed in the heart- shaped entrance at the front of a large structure of an elephant, built next to the Moulin Rouge. The bohemians are watching in the garden below.  
  
"Unbelievable! Straight to the elephant!" Shigure said to his friends.  
  
"For some strange reason I have a bad feeling about this." said Hatori.  
  
"Yeah, I'm not sure if this is going to work out." Kyo agreed.  
  
"Oh come on guys, have a little faith in Yuki!" Shigure assured.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure it will be just fine and if it doesn't.we can all kill Shigure for it." negotiated Haru, as Kyo and Hatori nodded in agreement.  
  
Shigure gulped and laughed nervously, "Oh boy."  
  
---*---  
  
Tohru enters the red room in the belly of the elephant, with Yuki's back facing her.  
  
"This is a wonderful place for a poetry reading, don't you think?" Tohru asked in a playful tone.  
  
Surprised, Yuki turns to face Tohru, and takes in her black gown ensemble with some surprise. Tohru follows his gaze.  
  
"Is this poetic enough for you?" Tohru questioned innocently, spinning around so Yuki could get a good look of her.  
  
Yuki gulped nervously, "Y-Yes."  
  
Oblivious to Tohru and Yuki, Shigure, Hatori, Haru, and Kyo stealthily climbed up the back of the elephant.  
  
"Shigure, don't you think this a bit wrong? I mean, spying on them and all?" indicated Hatori.  
  
"Relax, we're just going to see if everything is going all right." Shigure responded.  
  
Kyo scoffed, "Yeah right, you probably want to see some action, you sick perverted dog."  
  
Inside the elephant, Tohru turns to a trolley with food and drink on it, and picks up a bottle of Champagne from the ice bucket.  
  
"A little supper? Maybe some Champagne?" offered Tohru.  
  
"I'd rather just, um, get it over and done with." Yuki replied nervously.  
  
Tohru looked at him oddly for a second and drops the champagne bottle back into the ice.  
  
Tohru composes herself, and turns to face Yuki, "Very well. Then why don't you come down here and let's get it over and done with."  
  
"I-I prefer to do it standing." replied Yuki.  
  
Tohru couldn't hide her surprise, "Excuse me?"  
  
"You don't have to stand, I mean. It's sometimes that it's quite long, and I'd like you to be comfortable. It's quite modern what I do, and it may feel a little strange at first, but - but I think if you're open, then-then you might enjoy it." Yuki exclaimed, worried that he might have offended her.  
  
"I'm sure I will." Tohru smiled.  
  
"Excuse me." Yuki turns away from Tohru to compose himself, and then turns to face her, but he is very nervous.  
  
Yuki begins to recite his poetry, "The-the sky is-is...with the bluebirds...."  
  
Tohru walks over to the bed and lies on it seductively. She crosses her legs and her skirt was pulled away a bit to expose her well defined legs. Yuki pauses and gapes at her legs.  
  
Yuki nervously turns away from her, trying to keep his composure, "Come on Yuki, focus."  
  
Yuki turns to face Tohru again, who slightly moans and smoothes her hair back in a seductive manner.  
  
Yuki gulps, 'Oh god, I'm not sure how long I'll last.'  
  
Outside, the Bohemians have lowered Shigure, using Kyo's scarf as a rope, so he can spy in the window.  
  
"Ack...Shigure...you're killing me." Kyo wheezed, as Shigure clung onto the scarf around Kyo's neck.  
  
Yuki continues with his poetry, "There might be some shaking. Oh, riki-tiki- tiki-tiki."  
  
Tohru is getting a little annoyed, and she sits up on the bed, trying to appear concerned.  
  
"Um, is everything all right?" Tohru asked innocently.  
  
"Um, I'm a little nervous. It's just sometimes it takes a little while for.you know, inspiration to come." Yuki nervously looks down, and Tohru thinks she understands.  
  
"Oh, yes! Well, let me help you with that."  
  
"Wha-" Before Yuki could reply Tohru throws him on the bed and she climbs on top of him.  
  
"Does this inspire you?" Tohru asked innocently.  
  
Yuki is very confused, "Well, uh."  
  
"Let's make love!" Tohru cheered.  
  
"Make love?!" Yuki yelped.  
  
Tohru looked at him with her innocent blue eyes, "You want to, don't you?"  
  
"Well, I came to."  
  
"No, tell the truth."  
  
Shigure, looking in the window, reports to the Bohemians, "He's got a huge talent!"  
  
"I need your poetry now." Tohru demanded.  
  
"Oh, all right." Confused, but eager to please, Yuki throws Tohru off him and stands up, pulling himself together.  
  
"It's a little bit funny. This f-feeling in-inside. I'm not one of those who can-who can easily hide." Yuki continued with his poetry.  
  
Tohru is really confused now, "What?"  
  
"I-I don't have much money, but boy if I did I'd buy a big house where we both-both could live." Yuki continued.  
  
Tohru looked at him oddly, "Um, I really don't understand."  
  
"Is this-is this okay, is this what you want?" Yuki questioned.  
  
"Um, I was actually expecting something different." Tohru replied.  
  
"Oh, different. Well, I guess I could do that." Yuki replied. Yuki clears his throat, turns his back on Tohru to look out the window, and he breaks into song.  
  
"My gift is my song.and this one's for you." Yuki sang elegantly.  
  
Tohru's eyes widen in surprise, 'My, Akito can really sing!'  
  
On top of the elephant, the Bohemians pause in their drinking when they heard Yuki singing.  
  
"Ah, the boy is working his magic!" Shigure grinned.  
  
Yuki turns to look at Tohru before bursting into song.  
  
"And you can tell everybody that this is your song.  
  
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done,  
  
I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,  
  
That I put down in words,  
  
How wonderful life is, now you're in the world."  
  
Yuki turns and walks towards the front of the elephant, while Tohru gets up and follows him.  
  
"Sat on the roof and I kicked off the moss,  
  
Well some of these verses, well, they, they got me quite cross.  
  
But the sun's been kind while I wrote this song;"  
  
Yuki turns to face a dreamy eye Tohru, and they slowly walk towards each other as he sings to her.  
  
"It's for people like you that keep it turned on.  
  
So excuse me forgetting, but these things I do,  
  
You see I've forgotten if they're green or if they're blue."  
  
Yuki takes Tohru hands as she smiles at him somewhat uncertainly. Tohru felt like she was in some sort of a dream land, with Yuki spinning her around, they leap out of the elephant on a beam of starlight, and into the night sky.  
  
"Anyway, the thing is, what I really mean,  
  
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen.  
  
And you can tell everybody that this is your song.  
  
It may be quite simple, but now that it's done. . ."  
  
As silver rain falls, Yuki opens an umbrella, and they step up onto the roof of a building. Taking the umbrella, Yuki dances across the sky and leaps up onto a tower, tossing the umbrella to one side. Tohru and he dance towards each other, meeting in the middle of the sky.  
  
"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind,  
  
That I put down in words,  
  
How wonderful life is, now you're in the world."  
  
"I hope you don't mind, Oh I hope you don't mind,  
  
That I put down in words,  
  
How wonderful life is, now you're in the world."  
  
As Yuki spins Tohru around, their dream land dissolved back to them in the elephant. Yuki dips Tohru, and she looks up at him as the song ends.  
  
"Looks like he got the job!" Shigure on the roof yelled to his friends.  
  
"Oh, I can't believe it. I'm in love. I'm in love with the young, handsome, talented Akito Sohma." Tohru gazed at Yuki dreamily  
  
Yuki blinked, "Akito?"  
  
"Not that the name's important, of course." Tohru answered.  
  
"I'm not Akito." said Yuki.  
  
Not paying attention, Tohru leans in to kiss Yuki, "You're not Akito, the duke?"  
  
"No, I'm Yuki, the writer." Yuki was about to receive his kiss, but Tohru pulled back.  
  
"A writer?" Tohru asked.  
  
"Yes, a writer." Yuki repeated her words.  
  
Tohru steps away from him, "No!"  
  
"Well, Shigure." Yuki begins to explain his story, while Shigure hangs upside down in front of the window, watching them.  
  
"Shigure? Oh no, you're not another one of Shigure's oh-so-talented, charmingly bohemian, tragically impoverished protégés?" Tohru asked, looking scared.  
  
Yuki scratched his head, "Um, you could say that."  
  
"Oh no! I'm going to kill him! I'm going to kill him!" Tohru shrieked  
  
Shigure's eyes widen in fright when he heard this, so he got away from the window and back on top of the roof with the other bohemians.  
  
"I think there might be a small hitch." Shigure said to his friends.  
  
Yuki is confused, "Shigure told me."  
  
"What about the duke?" Tohru ignores him and crosses the room to the door, while Yuki follows her. Tohru opens the door, to find Ayame talking to Akito. Tohru yelped and quickly shut the doors, and turns to Yuki.  
  
"The Duke!" Tohru shrieked.  
  
"The Duke?" Yuki repeated.  
  
"Hide! Out the back!" Tohru rushes across the room to show Yuki out, but she accidentally trips and is caught by Yuki.  
  
POOF!  
  
Tohru gaped at all the color smoke inside the room. When it faded, a little grey mouse was peeking its head out of Yuki's clothes.  
  
"Y-You're a mouse?" Tohru looked at the Yuki mouse in disbelief.  
  
Yuki blinked and remembered that drink Shigure gave him, "Huh, I guess this is what Shigure meant by the side effects."  
  
Ayame opens the door, and Yuki has to duck behind Tohru to avoid being seen.  
  
"My dear, are you decent for Akito-sama?" questioned Ayame. Tohru turns to face Ayame, as Yuki tries to peer around her legs to see Akito, but Tohru pushes him to one side.  
  
"Where were you?" Ayame asked.  
  
"I-uh, I was waiting." Tohru leans against the drinks trolley, allowing Yuki to crawl behind it.  
  
"Dearest Akito, allow me to introduce Tohru-san." Ayame gestured to Tohru.  
  
"Akito-sama, how kind of you to take time out of your busy schedule to visit." Tohru said politely.  
  
"The pleasure, I fear, will be entirely mine." Akito smirked.  
  
"I'll leave you two squirrels to get better acquainted. Ta-ta." Ayame laughed and left the room.  
  
Akito takes Tohru's hand and kisses it, "A kiss on the hand may be quite continental."  
  
"But diamonds are a girl's best friend." Tohru replied with a smile.  
  
"Well, after tonight's pretty exertions on the stage, you must surely be in need of refreshment, my dear." Akito turned to get the Champagne from the trolley, but Tohru stops him.  
  
"DON'T!" Tohru yelled.  
  
Akito turn towards her, "Don't what?"  
  
Tohru tries to think of something, "Don't you just love the view outside?"  
  
Akito raises an eyebrow in confusion, "Charming."  
  
POOF!  
  
Yuki had transformed back into a human, but when he looked down, he found himself completely naked!  
  
"What was that sound?" Akito turns his head where he heard the poof.  
  
"I didn't hear anything!" Tohru yelled out and quickly kicked Yuki's clothes to him. Akito whipped his head back and looked at Tohru in suspicion.  
  
"You see, my dear, I should like a glass of Champagne." Akito turns back to get the champagne from the trolley.  
  
"NO! It's." Tohru tried to think of something, as Akito looked at her in annoyance. Yuki looks up from behind Akito.  
  
Suddenly, Tohru had an inspiration, "It's a little bit funny."  
  
"What is?" Akito asked.  
  
"This." Tohru trailed off. Yuki notices Tohru's hesitations and whispered the word 'feeling', while putting on his pants.  
  
"Feeling." Tohru read Yuki's mouth.  
  
"Inside." Yuki whispered.  
  
"Inside." Tohru said.  
  
Yuki continued to whisper the lyrics he sung to her, "I'm not one of those."  
  
"I'm not one of those who can easily..." Tohru trailed off again.  
  
"Hide." Yuki whispered.  
  
"Hide!" Tohru continued.  
  
But as Yuki is gesturing to Tohru, he knocks something over which makes a crash. Akito turns around as Yuki throws himself down behind the drinks trolley, and Tohru throws herself at Akito's feet to make him look at her.  
  
"I don't have much money, but oh, if I did, oh, I'd buy a big house where we both could live." Tohru gestures to Yuki through Akito's legs to go out the door while she distracts him.  
  
"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind, that I put down in words. How wonderful life is, now you're in the world." As Tohru sings, she slowly stands up in front of Akito, while Yuki stands up behind him. When Tohru finishes singing, Akito has stars in his eyes.  
  
"My dear, that's very beautiful." Akito said in awe.  
  
"It's from 'Spectacular Spectacular'. Suddenly with you here, I finally understood the true meaning of those words: 'How wonderful life is, now you're in the world.'" Tohru smiled.  
  
"And what meaning is that, my dear?" Akito looked at her thoughtfully.  
  
Tohru watches over Akito's shoulder as Yuki makes his way to the door, with his shirt still unbuttoned, and opens it to find Kureno, Akito's men servant, on the other side. Yuki shuts the door, and tries to hide himself in the corner.  
  
To distract Akito, Tohru throws herself on the bed, crying, "No! No! Akito! Don't you toy with my emotions! You-you must know the effect you have on women."  
  
Akito looks smug when he heard this, before Tohru pulls him down on top of her on the bed.  
  
"Let's make love! You want to, don't you? Oh, I knew you felt the same way. Oh! Oh! Akito!" Behind Akito's back, Tohru motions for Yuki to leave by the front of the elephant.  
  
"Get out of here or he'll kill you!" Tohru whispered to Yuki, but Yuki gave her a pleading look.  
  
Tohru sighed in defeat, "Yes, you're right. We should wait until opening night."  
  
Tohru throws Akito off her and looks at Yuki, who looks happier, and hides behind a screen in the elephant's head.  
  
"Wait? Wait?" Akito looked confused.  
  
"There's a power in you that scares me. You should go." Tohru leads Akito to the door.  
  
"But I just got here!" Akito protested.  
  
"Yes, but we'll see each other every day during rehearsal. We-we must wait, we must wait until opening night. Goodbye!" Tohru pushes Akito out and shuts the door. Yuki appears from behind the screen, and Tohru turns to face him.  
  
"Do you have any idea- any idea, what would have happened if you were found? Oh..." Tohru's eyes began to flutter and suddenly, she fainted.  
  
Yuki catches her in his arms, "Oh! Oh, my God! Tohru?"  
  
"Let's have a little peek-a-boo." In his office across the garden, Ayame gets out his telescope. Ayame looks into the elephant, and sees the back of a man in a tuxedo thrusting with Tohru.  
  
"Oh, right on target!" Ayame said in satisfaction.  
  
Back in the elephant, Yuki is trying to figure out what to do with Tohru, "Right. I'll just put her in bed. I'll put you in bed."  
  
Yuki manages to get Tohru on the bed, but falls on top of her, and at this moment, Akito walks in.  
  
"I forgot my hat." Akito then notices Yuki, who was still not fully dressed, on top of Tohru.  
  
Yuki looks up, "Uh-oh."  
  
"Foul play?" said Akito.  
  
"She.I." Yuki stuttered.  
  
Tohru wakes up, "Oh, Akito."  
  
"It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside." sneered Akito.  
  
"Beautifully spoken, Akito. Yes, let me introduce you to the writer." Tohru gestured to Yuki.  
  
"The writer?" Akito said in a disbelieving tone.  
  
"Yes. Oh yes. We were- we were rehearsing." Tohru stuttered.  
  
"Ha ha-ha. You expect me to believe that, scantily clad, in the arms of another man, in the middle of the night, inside an elephant, you were rehearsing?" Akito laughed sarcastically.  
  
Luckily, right at that moment, the bohemians, who had been watching the whole thing, burst in. Yuki and Tohru turn around in surprise.  
  
"How's the rehearsal going? Shall we take it from the top, my queen?" Shigure asked, following along with their act.  
  
"I hope the piano's in tune." Kyo follows suit as he hit a sour note on the piano.  
  
"Sorry, we got held up." Haru laughed softly.  
  
"Can I offer you a drink?" Hatori asked Akito.  
  
"Oh my goodness!" In his office, Ayame is looking through his telescope again, and sees the crowd that is now in the elephant. Ayame rushes out of his office.  
  
Back in the elephant, Tohru has composed herself, "When I spoke those words to you before, you-you filled me with such inspiration. Yes, I realised how much work we had to do before tomorrow, so I called everyone together for an emergency rehearsal."  
  
Akito still looked unconvinced, "If you're rehearsing, where's Ayame?"  
  
Ayame burst into the room, "My dear Akito, I'm most terribly sorry."  
  
Tohru rushes over to Ayame, "Ayame! You made it! It's all right, the duke knows all about the 'emergency rehearsal'."  
  
Ayame blinked, "Emergency rehearsal?"  
  
"To incorporate the duke's artistic idea." Tohru explained, raising her voice.  
  
Ayame laughed, "Yes, well I'm sure Ritsu will be only too delighted..."  
  
"Ritsu left." Shigure said bluntly.  
  
"He's what?" Ayame looked at him.  
  
"Ayame, the cat's out of the bag. Yes, Akito's already a big fan of our new writer's work. That's why he's so keen to invest." Tohru winked.  
  
"Invest? Invest! Oh yes, well, invest! You can hardly blame me for trying to hide, uh..." Ayame looked at Yuki for his name.  
  
"Yuki." Yuki answered plainly, now fully dressed.  
  
"Yuki away." Ayame finished.  
  
"I'm way ahead of you, Ayame." Akito rolled his eyes.  
  
Yuki looks to Shigure and the bohemians happily, he got the job.  
  
Ayame beamed, "My dear duke, why don't you and I go to my office to peruse the paperwork."  
  
"What's the story?" Akito asked.  
  
"The story?" Ayame repeated dumbly.  
  
"Well, if I'm to invest, I'll need to know the story." Akito indicated.  
  
"Ah yes. Well, the story's about...Shigure?" Ayame and everyone else turned to him for an answer.  
  
Shigure laughed nervously, "Well, the story-the story's about.well, it's about um."  
  
"It's about love!" Yuki yelled.  
  
"Love?" Akito sneered.  
  
Yuki nodded, "It's about love overcoming all obstacles."  
  
"And it's set in Switzerland!" Shigure piped in.  
  
"Switzerland?" Akito looked alarm.  
  
"Exotic Switzerland!" said Ayame.  
  
Yuki looks around the room, sees a statue of an Indian god, and is inspired.  
  
"India! It's set in India!" Yuki walks toward Tohru with love in his eyes, "And there's a courtesan, the most beautiful courtesan in the entire world."  
  
"But her kingdom's invaded by an evil maharajah in order to save her kingdom, she has to seduce the evil maharajah, but, on the night of the seduction, she mistakes a penniless po-." Yuki pauses, realising he'd better not give too much away, and his eyes fall on a sitar.  
  
"A penniless- a penniless sitar player..." Yuki picks up the sitar, "for the evil maharajah, and she falls in love with him!"  
  
Yuki looked at Tohru again, "He wasn't trying to trick her or anything, but he was dressed as a maharajah because- because he's appearing in a play."  
  
Haru takes the sitar from Yuki, "I will play the penniless tango-dancing sitar player. My white side will sing like an angel, and my black side will dance like the devil!"  
  
"Yes. Yes, all right. And- and what happens next?" asked Akito sounding interested.  
  
"Well, the penniless sitar player and the courtesan, they have to hide their love from the evil maharajah." explained Yuki.  
  
"The penniless sitar player's sitar is magical. It can only speak the truth." interrupted Kyo.  
  
Shigure takes the sitar from Haru, "And- and I will play the magical sitar."  
  
Shigure turns to Tohru, imitating the sound of a sitar, "You are beautiful."  
  
Shigure turns to Ayame, imitating the sound of a sitar, "You are dramatic."  
  
Shigure then turns to Akito, "You are a sadistic bast-"  
  
Everyone quickly clamps a hand over Shigure's mouth and grins nervously at Akito.  
  
"Yes, yes, yes. And he gives the game away, eh?" Akito asked, sounding excited.  
  
"Tell him about the can-can." Ayame said to Yuki.  
  
"The- the- the tantric can-can. It's." Yuki trailed off, not knowing what to say.  
  
"It's an erotic spectacular scene that captures the thrusting, violent, vibrant, wild bohemian spirit that this whole production embodies, Akito!" Ayame said dramatically.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" questioned Akito.  
  
"I mean the show will be a magnificent, opulent, tremendous, stupendous, gargantuan bedazzlement, a sensual ravishment. It will be..." Ayame turns and gestures. Yuki, Tohru, and the Bohemians do the same, as Kyo does a glissando on the piano. As Ayame sings, he twirls from one side of Akito to the other.  
  
"Spectacular Spectacular!  
  
No words in the vernacular  
  
Can describe this great event.  
  
You'll be dumb with wonderment.  
  
Returns are fixed at ten percent-  
  
You must agree, that's excellent.  
  
And on top of your fee. . ."  
  
Yuki, Tohru, Shigure, Haru, and Hatori come up behind Ayame, while Kyo is playing the piano.  
  
". . .you'll be involved artistically." Everyone sang in unison, before advancing toward the duke. Akito looks slightly alarmed as he backs up and sits down on a chair.  
  
"So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years!  
  
So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years!"  
  
Shigure yelled, "Elephants!"  
  
Hatori sung, "Bohemians!"  
  
Ayame bellowed, "Indians!"  
  
"And courtesans!" Tohru sang out sweetly.  
  
Kyo yelled "Acrobats!"  
  
"And juggling bears!" sang Yuki.  
  
Shigure screamed, "Exotic girls!"  
  
They all joined a line and sang together, "Fire eaters! Muscle-men, contortionists! Intrigue, danger..."  
  
"And romance!" sung Shigure.  
  
Everyone continued, "Electric lights! Machinery! All run with electricity!"  
  
Yuki, Tohru, Ayame, and the bohemians dance around Akito, before singing again.  
  
"So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting, it will run for fifty years!  
  
So exciting the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years!  
  
Spectacular Spectacular,  
  
No words in the vernacular  
  
Can describe this great event!  
  
You'll be dumb with wonderment!"  
  
"The hills are alive with the sound of music!" Everyone sang in an Indian- like tone.  
  
"So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting, it will run for fifty years!  
  
So exciting the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years!"  
  
"Yes, but what happens in the end?" asked Akito.  
  
Everyone looks at one another, then jump up and run round grabbing props to set up a miniature stage, before disappearing behind a curtain. Shigure sets a lamp in front of the curtain, and then Yuki appears in front of the curtain and clears his throat. Kyo turns the lights out, except for the lamps that light the stage.  
  
"The courtesan and sitar-man are pulled apart by an evil plan." Yuki sang  
  
Yuki steps to one side as the curtain opens to reveal Haru, in a makeshift turban, and Tohru, with fans in her hair and a jewelled headband, in an embrace. Hatori, in a black cloak, separates Haru and Tohru.  
  
"But in the end she hears his song." Tohru sang back.  
  
"And their love is just too strong." Yuki and Tohru locked eyes for a second, before being interrupted by Akito.  
  
"It's a little bit funny, this feeling inside." sang Akito.  
  
Tohru, Yuki, Haru, and Shigure form a kick-line while Ayame, Hatori, and Kyo do a scene change.  
  
"So exciting, the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting, it will run for fifty years!"  
  
"Sitar player's secret song helps them flee the evil one! Though the tyrant rants and rails, it is all to no avail!" Yuki sang.  
  
Ayame, in a makeshift turban, and with a blanket tied round his shoulders, appears, while everyone bows down before him.  
  
"I am the evil maharajah! You will not escape!" Ayame bellowed.  
  
"Oh, Ayame, no one could play him like you could!" Tohru beamed.  
  
"AHAHAHAHA! No one's going to!" Ayame laughed.  
  
Everyone clusters around the piano before continuing with their song.  
  
"So exciting, we'll make them laugh, we'll make them cry!  
  
So delighting..."  
  
"And in the end should someone die?" interrupted Akito.  
  
They all paused and looked at each other, "Uh."  
  
"So exciting the audience will stomp and cheer!  
  
So delighting it will run for fifty years!"  
  
The song ends with a flourish as everyone strikes a final pose. They waited patiently for Akito's reaction.  
  
Akito held his chin in thought, "Generally, I like it."  
  
Everyone cheered and gathered around him, excited that they now have an investor for their play.  
  
A/N Phew! Man, that took me a much longer time than I thought. I'm just so obsessed with Moulin Rouge that I had to write this chapter. Anyway, read and review! 


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